2021 MN State Fair Food Preview Part 3 (Fudge & Fruit! through La Floretta)

 Here we are, middle of the week and time for Part 3!

We're exploring Fudge & Fruit! through La Floretta. You can bet we're gonna hate the idea of at least one item today, so read on.

Fudge & Fruit! - Minnesota Wine Country

Fresh strawberries and fudge brownies dipped in wine-infused dark chocolate, drizzled with wine-infused white chocolate and served on-a-stick.

Sarah

I saw this and was immediately pissed off. And then I saw it was from Minnesota Wine Country and got even more pissed.

Like fucking chocolate dipped strawberries and brownies is some amazing thing to get at the fair. Even if it’s drizzled in wine infused chocolate. Who cares? This isn’t a fair food.

Also, it’s gonna cost like fucking $20, too. And look at that “dipped” bs. Some of those strawberries have barely any chocolate on them. That’s bullshit and we all know it. And this is on the picture for the food which should be, like, the very best one. If the best one looks like that, you know we’re all getting barely any chocolate on our skewers.

Shit I’m pissed. Getting into a rage lather about it.

Patrick

Well, well, well, looks who is back on the new foods band wagon. MN Wine Country feels like the posh café where all the snooty wealthy elite get their “fair” food, while all us peons are staring in from the outside, half-eaten corndog in one hand and sugar-water lemonade in the other and a mustard stain on our shirt. Don’t get me wrong, I usually find their tiny little amuse-bouche sized food offerings to be surprisingly refined and a pleasure to the palette. I just don’t want to pay fifteen bucks for it! Chocolate covered strawberries and fudge on a stick, sounds like a gift box from a high-end candy store like Lindt or Godiva. Honestly, this wouldn’t excite me even if I could get it for five dollars, and I predict it’ll be closer in price to my initial estimate. This looks boring and I’m mad I’m going to have to empty my pockets to try it.

Anne

Does adding the exclamation point add a dollar onto the price? IIRC, MN Wine Country always had great food that was a smol portion at an exorbitant price (it has wine in it so $$$ amiright??).
Otherwise, these look good. Except take the fucking tops off your strawberries. God damn I hate tops on strawberries in food.

 

Greek Stuffed Ravioli - Dino's Gyros

Mediterranean pastry dough stuffed with cream cheese, tzatziki sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoncini, tomato, gyro meat and Dino’s Greek seasoning, deep-fried and drizzled with roasted garlic butter.

Sarah

Ope, more raviolis. Is that the theme this year?

This sounds pretty good, though I’m not excited about the pepperoncini. Also, that’s a lot of stuff in a filling for a ravioli, which makes me worried the bites will be uneven (this bite is all meat, this bite is all tomato, etc.)

I see there’s no dipping sauce, either. I feel like that kind of misses the point of deep-fried raviolis.

But, it’s Dino’s so I’m cautiously optimistic. I hope it blows my mind.

Patrick

This feels very similar to their feta bites or whatever from a previous year, but I feel like the filling on these sounds a bit more rounded out and interesting. A mixture of meat and cheese and a few other additives in a fried ravioli pasta shell, drizzled with roasted garlic butter (yum), here’s hoping this turns out as good as it sounds in my head. I mean, how do they get that many ingredients inside a little ravioli? Also, both of the twins don’t like pepperoncini, so I imagine they might turn their nose up to this one. Add another mark against Sarah and how much she hates this list.

Anne

Yeah for more dippin pockets! And damn do these sound great!! Though I wish they would’ve omitted the pepperoncini. Dang that’s a lot of stuff to stuff into a pocket.
Wait- I just realized these don’t come with a dip?? They’re just drizzled instead?
1- what a mess for my hands 2- why no dip?? Now it’s not a dippin pocket, it’s just a regular ol dumb pocket.

My friend Brigid says I need to just eat it with a fork, but if the intention is to eat it with your fingers, then don’t make it messy BRIGID.

 

Island Hopper - The Hangar

Hollowed-out half-pineapple filled with charbroiled chicken glazed with teriyaki sauce and served with steamy white rice and pineapple chunks, topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Sarah

Sure sure sure. I mean, this sounds good and like something I’ll like.

But, because it’s actually served in half a pineapple, I have worries that that will jack up the price for something that I can, more or less, get at Leann Chin’s.

The Hangar is still new, too, so it’s hard to know if this will be good or not.

Even if it is good, though, I don’t see how teriyaki chicken and white rice is ever gonna blow my mind.

Patrick

Look at this thing! The hangar had a pretty good year last time, so I am hoping they are keeping up that tradition with this new food. Food inside a pineapple is whimsical the first time you have it, but I feel like it isn’t the best medium for carrying your food. Also, I think they missed out in making that white rice fried rice, so this could be some kicking teriyaki chicken pineapple fried rice. But hey, maybe the rice will really soak up that teriyaki sauce and the chicken will be tender and have that nice charbroiled flavor. I hope this is good, I do, I just worry it might miss the mark. Nothing about it sounds bad, but nothing super excites me about it either.

Anne

Ok, I think this might be an excessive amount of food? Don’t they know that we need to eat a LOT of different things and therefore don’t want an entire half pineapple?? Also rice is so filling.

This sounds like Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken, and the only gimmick/special thing about it is the half pineapple, which isn’t that special at all bc we had a half pineapple food item at the farmer’s market this weekend, and you can routinely get them at Karta Thai (which I DO.)

 

Jumbo Donut Sundae - Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts

A jumbo frosted yeast-raised donut available in a variety of flavors, topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream, hot fudge and blend of sprinkles. Specializing in hand-cut, yeast-raised donuts, Fluffy’s menu options also include a variety of icings, butter cream frostings, fillings and toppings.

Sarah

Hello, Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts. Are you a new place? I’ve never heard of you.

Yeah, this sounds great. I fucking love a glazed donut. Donut places that try to be all fancy and make weird ass topped donuts are doing it wrong (you heard me. I said what I said.) Just make a nice, glazed donut that’s fresh and poofy and you will have my heart.

Nothing about this sounds bad. Will definitely try, like, all the donuts? Probably.

Patrick

Is this place new? Never heard of it, so maybe so? Anyways, donuts kick ass (though I can be picky on what is a really good donut.) Hopefully these donuts are fresh, fluffy and delicious, because I actually think this is a really killer idea for a twist on beloved dessert. I just really like the customization available for this donut sundae. Different donuts, different frostings and fillings, different toppings? Do I get to pick all of that, or are there going to be set combinations? Either way, what a fine twist on an ice cream sundae. Sign me up!

Anne

*Does a little happy dance*
Ok, so sounds like you can choose your donut flavor AND your sprinkles?? Honestly I wish they would just have some pre-chosen choices for us, because too many options is hard when you’re a group AND what if you just make a poor choice and then you have to judge everything off of that?
But anyway, give me the one in the pic bc that looks baller, and I am excited to see how their donuts hold up to ice cream and stuff.

 

Kerala Fried Chicken Kati Roll - Hot Indian

Marinated, battered and fried chicken tenders wrapped in paratha with chutneys and slaw. A fan favorite in the Midtown Global Market booth in years past, Hot Indian has a new home of its own in the Food Building and will be at the fair all 12 days! Their menu will also include Paneer Pakora (new food in 2021, gluten-free), Butter Chicken Samosas (halal), Sweet Veg Samosas (vegan), Bhel Puri (vegan) and Mango Lassi.

Sarah

Okay, the picture grabbed my attention.

I was confused at first because I was like Hot Indian sounds familiar, but they’re in the food building?

And then I read that this is the Indian place that used to pop up in the midtown global market and I was immediately disappointed. Because I know for a fact that Hot Indian was never one of our favorites. In fact, we might have hated their food? I’m too lazy to go look.

Okay I checked and they had the paneer on the spear which I was very excited for in 2016 and I believe I was very disappointed by.

But this sounds pretty good, I guess? Battered fried chicken is usually something I want. So, I guess we’ll see. Maybe now that they have a permanent place, they’ll be better.

Patrick

Hmm…I like battered fried chicken tenders, not sure what paratha is though (looks like it is an Indian flatbread.) Basically a chicken tender wrap with Indian flavors. Normally I love Indian food, but I feel like every time Hot Indian (which appears to be the same place that was part of the MGM booth in the past and has now branched out to their own spot) has never produced something I’d get again. Good for them for earning their own spot of all twelve days of the fair, but I I’m not sure I needed them any more than the one day I would visit to try a disappointing new food. I’m not holding out any hope this year will be different.

Anne

Ok I get pretty excited when there’s words that I don’t know and there are 3 of them in this food.
Kerala- is a state in India
Kati- unclear (disappointing)
Paratha- layered flat bread made from flour, salt, ghee, etc.

Have we eaten Hot Indian before and was it super spicy? I feel like it might’ve been.
OH! This is the Midtown Global Market vendor and they just moved. I think we had their Paneer and Samosas and were disappointed/spiced out by them?

Well this looks great- I am excited to try this fancy Indian Fried Chicken Taco.

Looked them up- I was right about the Paneer and Samosas- we gave both of them Ds. Whomp whomp.

 

La Floretta - Mancini's al Fresco

Oven-roasted cauliflower florets seasoned with Iron Range herbs and spices and served with Calabrian sweet chili sauce. (Gluten-free, vegan)

Sarah

Ugh. Back when we were doing Keto we tried over and over again with cauliflower. We made it so many ways.

And I hated all of them. Which made me come to the conclusion that I just don’t like cauliflower.

So, all of that to say, I’m not excited about this and I doubt it will change my mind on the cauliflower point (though I’d love it if it could! I really want to like cauliflower.)

Mancini’s is also a place that doesn’t do me any favors. People love it, but they serve things that aren’t for my palate. *shrug*

Patrick

After doing several long months of the Keto diet, I’ve lost a lot of my initial love of cauliflower. People try to do everything to this fucking vegetable and say it tastes just like something else. Rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, you name it. No. It tastes like cauliflower and I’m a little tired of that flavor. I also hate when people try to pass off a food as something it is not. This is literally just roasted cauliflower with seasonings and a sauce to dip it in. I don’t see any sort of appeal for this. Gross really. Also, Sarah fucking hates cauliflower too, maybe Anne as well. I think we’re all going to hate this and shit on it in our reviews.

Anne

OMG I was SO EXCITED to learn about this food, and then I realized it’s fucking cauliflower and now I’m so sad/mad.

Get out of here. Get off my screen.

Tomorrow brings us Part 4 and the Naughty Biscuit! See you then